Controlled hysteria is what's required. To exist constantly in a state of controlled hysteria. It's agony. But everyone has agony. The difference is that I try to take my agony home and teach it to sing.
Arthur MillerRead
A play is made by sensing how the forces in life simulate ignorance-you set free the concealed irony, the deadly joke.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that storytelling reveals the hidden truths and absurdities of life through dramatic irony.
Arthur Miller's quote reflects on the transformative power of theater, emphasizing that plays serve as a medium to uncover and explore the contradictions and complexities of human existence. By recognizing the ironies inherent in life, playwrights create narratives that resonate with audiences, revealing deeper truths that might otherwise remain concealed beneath the surface of everyday experiences.
Themes
TheaterIronyTruthStorytellingHuman Experience
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of theater on society, one might quote Miller to illustrate how plays highlight life's contradictions.
More from Arthur Miller
All quotes βThe word "now" is like a bomb through the window, and it ticks.
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Amos Oz is one of the finest novelists of this entire period. MY MICHAEL is a beautiful work of great depth and in some indescribable way lingers in the mind as a lyric song to his country's people as much as a moving love story.
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Just remember, kid, you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away.
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Oh,Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer.
Arthur MillerRead
The structure of a play is always the story of how the birds came home to roost.
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